Can there be another prophet after the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?
It cannot be concluded that prophets no longer exist, except if a prophet informs on behalf of Allah that this is Allah’s decree. Thus, if we prove the prophethood of a specific Prophet, and then prove that he informed us that there is no prophet after him, then we can conclude our belief of the finality of prophethood. This is the case with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Therefore, as Muslims, we believe there is no prophet to come after our Prophet Mohammed ﷺ because we are certain of his prophethood, and it is established authentically that he has informed us of this decree from Allah.
From the Qur’an:
[1] ما كان محمد أبا أحد من رجالكم ولكن رسول الله وخاتم النبيين
“[The prophet] Muhammad is not a father to any of you, but rather he is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of prophets.”
Meaning, the final prophet, as though prophethood was sealed by his existence.
From the Sunnah:
لَمْ يَبْقَ مِنَ النُّبُوَّةِ إلَّا المُبَشِّراتُ. قالوا: وما المُبَشِّراتُ؟ قالَ: الرُّؤْيا الصَّالِحَةُ [2]
“There remains nothing of prophethood, except ‘mubasshiraat’. They asked; ‘what are mubasshiraat?’ He said; ‘they are true dreams.’”
إنه سيكون في أمتي ثلاثون كذابون كلهم يزعم أنه نبي، وأنا خاتم النبيين لا نبي بعدي[3]
“Verily, 30 liars will certainly come within my Ummah, all of them will claim to be a prophet, while I am the seal of the prophets; there is no prophet after me.”
أنت مني بمنزلة هارون من موسى، إلا أنه لا نبي بعدي[4]
“In relation to me, you (oh Ali) have the status of Harun to Musa, except there is no prophet after me.”
To this, the scholars of Islam have unanimously agreed that one who believes another prophet can be established, has left the fold of Islam. This is inclusive of the Qadiyaniyyah/Ahmediyyah sect, as they claimed another prophet was sent, which then took them outside the fold of Islam.
As for their interpretation of “no prophet after me” to mean “no prophet with a new legislation,” then this is explicitly disproven by the second Hadith mentioned above – “Liars will certainly come within my Ummah…” Showing that these people will claim to be from the Ummah (from Islam).
“All of them will claim to be a prophet,” in addition to the above shows that they will not claim to be a prophet with a new legislation (a messenger), rather they claim to be a prophet within the Ummah of our Prophet and Messenger Muhammad ﷺ.
Therefore, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ addressed the people who claim to be a prophet under his legislation and titled them liars, and ended this prophecy off with a heavy emphasis that “I am the seal of the prophets, there is no prophet after me.” In other words, neither within his legislation nor with a new one.
This is a direct and explicit response to the claim made by the Qadiyaniyyah/Ahmediyyah, that their prophet is legitimate because he is under the legislation of our prophet Muhammad ﷺ, so don’t be fooled by the deceptions of Shaytan, and hold firm to the words of the Qur’an and Sunnah and the belief of the companions and all those after them. Regarding this, there was a person in the time of Imam Abu Hanifah who claimed to be a prophet, and Imam Abu Hanifah said:
من طلب منه علامة فقد كفر[5]
“If one even request from him a sign [ to prove his prophethood], then he has disbelieved.” Because by looking for a proof, he has allowed for the possibility of another prophet – in Islam, there is no such possibility.
This is the consensus of the Muslims in the understanding of the verse and Hadiths mentioned above, and it is a pillar of our faith, such that some scholars have even said: If one does not know that Muhammad ﷺ is the last Prophet, then he is not a Muslim. Meaning, belief in such is a pillar of our religion, and one cannot be a follower of Muhammad ﷺ yet believe in another prophet after him.
And Allah knows best.
Written by Umar Elhashimi
June 9, 2025
Study Hanbali, Ashari, & Maturidi aqida at Arkview.org
Sources:
Surah al-Ahzab, verse 40
Sahih Bukhari; 6990
Sahih al-Tirmidhi; 2219
Sahih Muslim; 2404a
Manaqib al-Imam al-A’tham, of Imam al-Makki, page 17